The graduation of seniors always makes the start to the spring season a rough one. For the boys’ lacrosse team, this challenge was compounded by a paucity of rising seniors and poor weather during preseason.

At the beginning of the season, said junior Sarang Alladi, “We had to overcome the challenge of fielding three teams with not enough people coming out for the teams.”

However, the boys were quick to prove themselves. Senior captain Greg Olsson said that in the season opener against South Brunswick, The team “played with a lot of energy and heart,” winning 12-6.
But there’s still much to be desired for the season. The team has slumped a little since the opening, with a current record of 4-6. Coach Chris Petrone said he wants the team to work on maintaing a positive attitude. “Even when we’re down in a game,” Petrone said, the team aims for “just trying to keep a level head.”

Training is also an important part of the lacrosse team’s preparation and growth. Alladi said that in order to succeed, the team will need to “excel in the fundamentals of the game before doing anything challenging.” Petrone added that the practices are trial-and-error, and while “some things don’t work at times, we try new drills and try new things.”

After a string of close losses, the team beat Delran 15-5. Olsson noted that “consistently playing at the high level the team is capable of can help us reach our other goals.”

In terms of the future, the team has set its sights high, hoping to quality for the state championship and earn a good seed in the Mercer County Tournament. Petrone said, “We started the season 2-0, which was good since we were missing a lot of guys, which shows that even with not a full team we can accomplish a lot.”